Method for spreading sheets of two adjacent pairs of sheets



Dec. 30, 1969 o. E. FRANSON 3,435,421

METHOD FOR SPREADING SHEETS OF TWO ADJACENT PAIRS OF SHEETS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 19, 1966 Dec. 30, 1969 o. E. FRANSON 3,486,421

METHOD FOR SPREADING SHEETS OF TWO ADJACENT PAIRS OF SHEETS Filed Dec.19, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 7 f 'f---""| 1 g I INVENTOR Z/ W UnitedStates Patent 3,486,421 METHOD FOR SPREADING SHEETS OF TWO ADJACENTPAIRS OF SHEETS Otto Elwing Franson, Jonkoping, Sweden, assignor toMunksjo Aktie Bolag, Jonkoping, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden FiledDec. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 603,005 Int. Cl. B31b 1/86 U.S. Cl. 93-35 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a novel method ofseparating two adjacent pairs of flexible sheet material, such as paper,plastic, or the like, to facilitate the insertion and retainingtherebetween of objects such as carrying handles, resulting in varioususeful articles such as shopping bags and the like.

It is known from Swedish Patent No. 196,379, in the manufacture ofcarrier bags with two or more sheets in each side of the bag, to insertthen ends of the handles between inner and outer sheets and then to gluethese sheets together by means of a glued strip slightly below andparallel to the upper edge of the sheets.

The present invention relates to a method for spreading the paper of oneor several pairs of sheets, each consisting of an inner and an outersheet or partial sheet of paper. This method can be used to advantage inthe manufacture of a carrier bag. According to the invention, the innersheet portion of one pair is provisionally glued to the inner sheetportion of the other pair by means of a thin strip of glue whereupon theouter sheet portions are moved away from each other by means of suctioncups or the like acting against the outer surfaces, and objects, such asthe end of handles of a carrier bag, are inserted between the sheets ofeach pair and can be glued thereto when the sheets are again pressedtogether; then the provisional gluing is broken by separating thefreshly glued pairs after the glue has set, for example, by opening thecarrier bag.

The invention will be further explained, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying drawing, showing in perspective the upperpart of a carrier bag manufactured according to the invention:

FIG. 1 shows a carrier bag at one stage of its manufacture;

FIG. 2 shows a later stage of the manufacture, and

FIG. 3 shows the finished carrier bag.

The drawings show the outer sheet of the carrier bag at 1 and the innersheet at 2. During the manufacture, the sheets are placed on top of eachother and the whole is then folded to form a tube which is normallyfolded at its lower end, not shown, to a bottom, also not shown. Thevertical joint or edge 3 of the outer sheet consists of an overlap jointwhich may be slightly asymmetrical relative to the edges of the bag,while the corresponding edge 4 of the inner sheet is preferablysymmetrical, but slightly laterally offset relative to the edge 3 of theouter sheet, so that the two joints do not cover each other. As may beseen from FIG. 1, the outer and inner sheets are glued together by meansof a glued strip 5 extending partly under the handles and around the bagand partly by an upper glued strip 6, also extending around the bag, buthaving interruptions in the zones 7 in which the ends 9 of the handles,shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, are inserted between the sheets of the bag. Asshown more clearly in FIG. 1, the sheet portions 10 and 15, located nearthe joint 4, and belonging to the inner sheet 2, are glued together inoverlap by means of a glued strip 11.

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According to the invention, before the manufacture of the bag, or beforethe gluing together of the sheet portions 10 and 15, a small hole 12 ismade into the inner sheet portion 15 exactly opposite the glue strip 11so that during the gluing a small part of the glue flows through thehole 12 outside. When the carrier bag is now folded flat this smallamount of glue attaches itself to the inner sheet portion 2 on the otherside of the bag. When the two outer sheet portions 1 are now expanded,for example, by means of suction cups 14, attached to the outer surfacesof the bag, opposite the joint 4 the two inner sheet portions 2 areglued together by the glue flowing through the hole 12, and the innersheets assume the position shown in FIG. 2. In this way, on both sidesof the bag, the outer sheet portions and the inner sheet portions areseparated, enabling the ends 9 of the handles 8 to be inserted betweenthe sheets. Prior to that, the end pieces are glued together. During theinsertion, the end pieces are preferably placed against the breaks inthe glued joint 6, enabling the lateral positions of the end pieces tobe fixed. The end pieces are pushed in sufiiciently far between thesheet portions 1 and 2 so that they rest on the peripherally extendingglued seam 5 thereby determining also their relative height. Then someglue is introduced between the separated portions of sheets 1 and 2 inthe area designated 7, and then the bag is pressed together, causing thehandles to be glued between the two sheets 1 and 2 while simultaneouslyglueing the latter together.

After the glue between the sheets has set, the gluedpairs of sheets arepulled apart, causing the small glued joint at 12 to break. The bag cannow be formed to the shape shown in FIG. 3 and filled with the desiredmaterial.

Naturally, the invention is not limited to the method hereinbeforedescribed and illustrated, or to the object mentioned above, but may bemodified Within the limits of the protection afiorded by the claims.

What I claim is:

1. The method of separating two adjacent sheets of flexible materialsuch as paper, plastic, or the like, to facilitate the insertiontherebetween of objects such as carrying handles, comprising the stepsof:

(a) positioning a pair of pre-cut sheets of flexible material comprisinga multiple layer article having an inner and an outer layer for forminga double thickness tubular receptacle;

(b) leaving at least one end of the tubular receptacle open to form anentrance thereto;

(c) temporarily fastening the inner opposed surfaces of adjacentlydisposed open end portions of said inner layer of the receptacle to forma temporary seal;

(d) separating the opposed portions of the outer sheet layer from theinner sheet layer adjacent said temporarily fastened portions of theinner layer, said separating being effected by vacuum applied thereto;

(e) inserting end portions of preformed carrying handles between therespective opposed separated layer portions of the inner and outersheets; and

(f) sealing the respective separated portions of said inner and outerlayer to securely retain the respective handles therebetween, including(1) securing the respective sheet layers together by means of aperipheral joining seam disposed around the upper open end of thetubular receptacle,

(2) said beam being interrupted in opposed areas,

including the area of the temporary seal, to facilitate insertion of thehandles, and

(3) said interrupted areas of said joining seam corresponding generallyto the width of the handle and defining lateral supports within thereceptacle for said respective handlesr 2. The method as defined inclaim 1 including the further step of securing further the respectivesaid layers together by means of a joining seam disposed at leastpartially around and spaced below the open peripheral edge of thereceptacle 8. distance corresponding generally to the depth at which thehandles are to be inserted, said latter joining seam serving to orientand support the handles during insertion.

3. The method of separating two adjacent sheets of flexible materialsuch as paper, plastic, or the like, to facilitate the insertiontherebetween of objects such as carrying handles, comprising the stepsof:

(a) positioning a pair of pre-cut sheets of flexible material comprisinga multiple layer article having an inner and an outer layer to form adouble thickness tubular receptacle;

(b) leaving at least one end of the tubular receptacle open to form anentrance thereto;

(c) temporarily fastening the inner opposed surfaces of adjacentlydisposed open end portions of said inner layer of the receptacle to forma temporary seal;

(d) separating the opposed portions of the outer sheet layer from theinner sheet layer adjacent said temporarily fastened portions of theinner layer, said separating being effected by vacuum means appliedthereto;

(e) inserting end portions of preformed carrying handles between therespective opposed separated layer portions of the inner and outersheets;

(f) sealing the respective separated portions of said inner and outerlayer to securely retain the respective handles therebetween,

(g) overlapping the respective free opposite ends of at least the innerlayer to form a generally vertically disposed overlap seam strip;

(h) providing a relatively smaller aperture in the inner portion of scamstrip adjacent the upper end of the tubular bag receptacle; and

(i) sealing said overlap seam strip together by the application ofadhesive, whereby a small amount of adhesive is exposed through saidaperture to provide the temporary seal of paragraph (c).

4. The method of separating two adjacent sheets of flexible materialsuch as paper, plastic, or the like, to facilitate the insertiontherebetween of objects such as carrying handles, comprising of stepsof:

(a) positioning a pair of pre-cut sheets of flexible material comprisinga multiple layer article having an inner and an outer layer to form adouble thickness tubular receptacle;

(b) leaving at least one end of the tubular receptacle open to form anentrance thereto;

(c) temporarily fastening the inner opposed surfaces of adjacentlydisposed open end portions of said inner layer of the receptacle to forma temporary seal, said seal being formed by a small spot of adhesive;

(d) separating the opposed portions of the outer sheet layer from theinner sheet layer adjacent said temporarily fastened portions of theinner layer, said separating being eflected by vacuum means appliedthereto;

(e) inserting end portions of preformed carrying handles between therespective opposed separated layer portions of the inner and outersheets;

(f) sealing the respective separated portions of said inner and outerlayer to securely retain the respective handles therebetween; and

(g) subsequently unfastening said temporary seal as by spreading thecomposite sealed layers to break said seal, thereby readying the itemfor receipt of articles therein.

5. The method as defined in claim 4 including the further step ofsecuring the respective sheet layers together by means of a joining seamdisposed at least partially around and spaced below the open peripheraledge of the receptacle a distance corresponding generally to the depthat which the handles are to be inserted, said joining seam serving theorient and support the handles during insertion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,342,198 2/1944 Hultin 93562,469,536 5 1949 Winesett 9335 3,034,409 5/ 1962 Finke 93-8 3,334,5508/1967 Craig 938 3,409,209 11/1958 Finke 938 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,124,7993/1962 Germany. 196,379 5/1965 Sweden.

WAYNE A. MORSE, 111., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 938, 36, 53

